Michigan State Men’s Basketball head coach Tom Izzo, along with many other basketball coaches, has been outspoken this year in regards to racial equality and justice. On Tuesday, it was announced that Izzo, along with over forty other college basketball coaches, will put action behind those words and become ambassadors for the McLendon Foundation’s Minority Leadership Initiative.
The Minority Leadership Initiative is a program created in partnership with the John McLendon Foundation to “create access to and opportunity for meaningful employment experience for minority candidates.” The late John McLendon was the first Black man to be a head coach at a predominately white college.
According to its website, the initiative’s mission is to:
“Provide minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Mentorship.”
Izzo will be joined by Michigan head coach Juwan Howard in the initiative, and the program is co-chaired by Kentucky head coach John Calipari and Harvard’s Tommy Amaker.
